


why don't you figure my heart out

by fox_tails



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Frottage, M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-20 06:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8239297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fox_tails/pseuds/fox_tails
Summary: Nathan is lonely, just wants company. Warren is too nice to say no.Then it gets a little confusing for both of them.(basically just a thing about two boys exploring their sexualities in a (mostly) non-sexual way)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reno/gifts).



> I don't know if I will ever continue this or not, but I marked it unfinished just in case.......  
> It's kind of ooc, sorry

Nathan was sitting on the steps outside the dorms, raising a joint to his lips.

He inhaled, pulling smoke into his lungs, then blew it out, up and away. Wished he could go with it. Wished he could disappear, dissipate into the air, just as it had done.

His life was shit. It always had been, and he figured it always would be. He hated himself as much as everyone else did. There was no love for Nathan Prescott, not an ounce. Not from his mother, his father. Not from Mark Jefferson, no matter how much he claimed he loved Nathan. Perhaps from his sister, but she was away. So, so far away. She couldn’t help him.

He felt like shit. He almost wished he had the balls to leave Arcadia Bay and never come back, as if that would help. 

And maybe it would. Maybe getting out of this shithole would make him feel better.

For now, though, he was going to feel sorry for himself. For his shitty parents, for Mark Jefferson, for having to be on medication for his mental illnesses. And even for his face, because it fucking _hurt_ , dammit.

That bitch Warren Graham didn’t look like he could even hit, but he’d damn near made Nathan cry.

It just so happened that right then was when Warren was approaching the dorms.

Speak of the devil, and he will come.

Nathan didn’t expect Warren to stop in front of him, but he did. Looked hesitant, but finally spoke. “Hey… Nathan.” It came out awkward, like he was regretting it even as he said it.

Nathan scowled. “The fuck do you want?”

“I… uh.” Warren cleared his throat. Stalling. He was stalling. Nathan knew he didn’t want to talk to him, nobody did. So why was he? “I wanted… to say sorry. About… your face? Uh…”

Nathan snorted, sounding bitter. “Whadda you want me to say? It’s okay? It’s not okay, you fucking bitch.”

Eyes going wide, Warren took a step back, put his hands up in front of him. “Whoa… Uh… Okay, I deserved that.”

“You deserve a punch to the nose.”

Warren grinned, like Nathan was joking with him. Nathan couldn’t understand it. Why? Why was Warren smiling?

“Then we’d match, huh?”

A joke? Nathan couldn’t force himself to crack a smile, it hadn’t been funny. He squinted. “What are you trying to do here, Graham?”

Warren took in a deep breath, then let it out and sat down on the steps beside Nathan. “I told you. I’m trying to apologize. I didn’t… I don’t… I don’t beat people up. I just had to protect Max. But I’m sorry. I got carried away, I was worried you’d hurt her.”

Nathan was quiet for a moment. Then, “What are you getting from apologizing to me?”

“...What?”

“You can’t _really_ be sorry for hitting me. Everybody here wants to punch my lights out, so what’s your motive?”

Frowning, Warren cocked his head. “I… I don’t have one.”

“Bullshit.”

Warren sighed. “What could I possibly--? You know, never mind, I'm just… gonna go. Sorry to bother you.” He started to stand up, but Nathan reached out and grabbed his arm. 

“Wait.”

Warren settled back down into the steps. “Okay…”

“Could you just… sit with me? I don't… I don't wanna be alone.” Nathan hated to ask, felt so fucking weak, but he needed company to keep from drowning in his thoughts. 

Warren paused for a moment, considering whether or not this was a trick. But Nathan’s expression was unreadable, so Warren decided to trust him. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Thanks.” Nathan looked over at him, couldn’t believe he’d just asked the guy who beat him up the day before to sit with him. He held his hand out, joint between his fingers, offering it up silently. A trade. Nathan would share his weed for Warren’s company.

He’d expected Warren to say no. But he didn’t. He just took it, put it to his lips. Inhaled, then blew out the smoke and handed it back to Nathan.

Nathan took it, then stared at Warren, eyebrow raised.

“What?”

“I just didn’t expect you to smoke pot.”

Warren shrugged and smiled, so happy and carefree, and Nathan envied it. He wanted to smile like that, wondered what it took to be able to. “I don’t, usually. But... sometimes.”

Huh. Nathan never would have guessed. He always thought Warren Graham was too straight-laced for weed. He was glad he was wrong, because this could be nice, sitting there on the steps getting high with someone.

Warren looked over at Nathan, and when he saw that Nathan wasn’t smoking the joint, he plucked it out of his fingers, brought it up to his lips again.

“Asshole,” Nathan accused, but his voice, for once, had no heat in it. 

Warren grinned and handed it back. He kind of liked hearing Nathan’s voice without vitriol, wondered for a moment how many people had ever heard him speak without a bite to his words. Warren thought this was nice. He never thought he’d think of spending time with Nathan Prescott as _nice_ , but here he was, and he kind of liked it.

And, okay, maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that, even though Warren knew Nathan was a dick, he’d also always thought he was kind of hot. For some reason, he thought Nathan looked even better with his black eye and split lip. He suddenly had the urge to tell him, compliment him. He spoke against his better judgement. “Can I tell you something?”

Nathan looked over at him, eyebrow raised quizzically. 

“You look… good. Like that.” Warren gestured to his face. “With… bruises. And… stuff.” _Smooth, Warren_ , he thought to himself.

Nathan’s eyebrows pulled together, wondering what that meant. Surely, Warren Graham wasn’t trying to hit on him… right? “What?”

Warren panicked. Shit shit shit. “Uh. I mean you look… tough. You know, like, you look kinda badass?” Warren sighed, closed his eyes. _That was such a weak save, dipshit._

Nathan didn’t buy that, Warren could tell by the expression on his face, but Nathan just nodded, accepting the lame explanation, and took a drag from the joint.

“Can I ask you something?”

Nathan looked over at him again, not even looking annoyed like Warren thought he would. “Yeah?”

“Where… uh. Where'd your attitude go? You alright?”

Nathan sighed, wondering if he should answer honestly. He figured why the hell not. Warren didn’t seem the type to ask how someone was just to humiliate them. No, Warren was mostly good, unlike him. Normal. Wasn’t looking out only for himself. “I'm never alright.”

“That’s… really sad, Nathan.”

Nathan shrugged. It was. It was sad and so was he, so was his life, his very existence was sad, sad, _sad_. Talk about acting 'emo’, Nathan told himself to grow a pair and stop sulking. 

But he couldn't. God, he was tired of acting okay. So fucking tired. He wanted to cry, seriously considered it for a second. Considered bawling his eyes out in front of Warren Graham, thought about asking him to hold him. He probably would, too. Some people were good at comforting, at being there for others. Nathan didn’t know how they did it.

But before he could decide he was going to cry and pour his heart out to Warren, Nathan's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, reading a text. He sighed, heavy, sounding and looking more burdened than any high schooler should, and handed Warren the rest of the joint. “I gotta go. Let's… let's do this again, though? I could use the company.”

“Course. All you have to do is ask, Nathan.”

Nathan wished that were as easy as it sounded.

\------

Nathan was sitting in his room, the only light coming through the window. He was bored and lonely, kept bouncing his legs. Though that was likely a side effect of his meds, not out of boredom. Or maybe it was both.

He kept thinking about Warren Graham. About him smiling at him, looking happy and sincere. Nathan wasn’t sure he’d ever been looked at like that. Sure, Victoria smiled at him, but sure as hell not like that.

He wanted to be looked at like that again. Which meant he’d have to hang out with Warren again, and he was more than willing. At this point, he didn’t care if anyone made fun of him for it. He had nothing to prove to the people at Blackwell. Most of them couldn't stand him anyway, so what did it matter? 

He slid off of his bed, didn't even bother putting shoes on when he left his room and went over to Warren’s door. He hesitated for a moment, then knocked.

It took him a moment, but Warren finally pulled the door open. “Oh, hey Nathan.” He was smiling, but not the way Nathan wanted him to be. Nathan wanted him practically beaming at him, like he had the day before. “What's up?”

“I was. Uh... I was wondering if you wanted to come smoke with me.” Nathan jerked his thumb behind him, towards his room. 

“Oh, sure! Why not? I got homework to finish though, so I'm gonna bring it with me. Hang on.”

Shit. Maybe Nathan was selfish, but this wasn't what he wanted. He wanted Warren's attention, wanted him grinning at him. 

Fuck. That sounded… 

No, Nathan was sure he wasn't gay. Well… mostly sure. He'd been curious before, sure, but everyone had… right? He was absolutely not gay, he just wanted attention of any kind, he craved it, from anyone. 

Warren came back to the door with a big textbook, his homework, and a pencil, and shut the door with his free hand. The two of them walked back to Nathan's room, Nathan opening the door for Warren, then shutting it behind him. 

Warren set his stuff on the bed and looked around. Nathan suddenly felt embarrassed, hoped his room wasn't too creepy for Warren with the weird fetish pictures on the walls. 

At least his photos he had up were of women who consented to have their pictures taken, unlike…

Okay, now wasn't the time to think about that. Nathan just wanted to relax and smoke weed with Warren, just wanted Warren to smile at him again. He really was desperate for attention.

Warren sat down on the bed beside his stuff, and Nathan went to his desk, pulled the drawer open and took out a joint he'd already rolled. Then he grabbed a lighter, and the ashtray off his desk, and went over to sit by Warren. 

“Thanks for… this. You don't have to be here if you don't want to be though.”

Warren smiled. “Don't worry. I'm here because I want to be. Maybe… you're… no offense, but you're kind of a dick sometimes. But maybe you just need a friend.”

Nathan wasn't offended. Warren was probably right. “Yeah. Maybe so.”

Nathan put the joint in his mouth, lit it. Inhaled, then passed it to Warren. 

Warren was still smiling, and Nathan liked that. How was this guy so happy? How was he always smiling? Warren took a pull off of the joint, handed it back to Nathan, and opened up his textbook.

“What… uh.” Nathan scratched the back of his head. He was never good at making conversation, but he wanted to try. “What homework are you doing?”

“Physics. I hate it. I mean, I love science, but not when you add equations like these.” 

“I'd offer to help, but…”

“But?”

Nathan sighed and looked down at his lap before putting the joint back up to his lips. “I'm… I'm not very smart.”

“Sure you are. Even if you're not good at science, you've gotta be smart at something else. Everybody is smart in some way or another.”

“Yeah, alright, if you say so.”

“I do. Now hush and lemme finish my homework.”

Nathan shut up, messed around on his phone while Warren did his work. Every once in a while, Warren would reach over and take the joint from him, then silently pass it back. This felt… nice. Nathan liked it more than he really wanted to admit.

It took Warren around twenty minutes to finish his homework, then he shut his textbook and stretched, then set the textbook aside. He looked over at Nathan and cocked his head. “Where’d the joint go?”

“I finished it.”

“God, you weed-hog! You better have more.”

Nathan managed a smile, albeit a small one. “I have more.”

“Well? C’mon, I’m not stoned yet, go get it.”

“Don’t be pushy, Graham, or I won’t share with you anymore.” But Nathan slid off the bed again, went to his desk, and returned with a second joint. He put it in Warren’s mouth and lit it, and Warren inhaled the smoke, held it, then blew it out.

The two of them shared it, handing it back and forth, until both of them were pleasantly high. They were both laying down now, relaxing. Nathan felt just good enough to not feel anything, not his black eye and not the mental stress he usually felt, but Warren was giggly. Nathan thought it was cute, but he sure as hell wasn’t saying that out loud.

With wide eyes, like he’d just gotten the best idea he’d ever had, Warren sat up and leaned towards Nathan. “Hey, you ever tried shotgunning?” 

Nathan turned his head to look at him. “What?”

“Shotgunning! I’ve never tried it, I want to.”

Sitting up, Nathan cocked his head. “What is it?”

“I’ll show you.” Briefly, Warren wondered if this was a bad idea. Nathan might punch his lights out for trying, but, hell, Warren was high and Nathan was hot, so he was trying it anyway. Warren pulled smoke into his mouth, held it there. Leaned closer to Nathan, getting right in his face, and--

Nathan jerked back. “What the hell are you doing?”

Warren huffed a laugh, smoke billowing out of his mouth as he did. He was giggling now, finding Nathan’s appalled expression just _hilarious_.

Frowning, Nathan crossed his arms. “What the hell, Graham? Are you trying to kiss me?”

Warren had to fight down his giggles to reply. “No! No, it’s more like… mouth-to-mouth, but with smoke. You shoulda seen your face, dude!”

Nathan huffed, nose wrinkling up. He needed to get defensive. He felt like he was being attacked, for some reason. “Very funny. Asshole. What were you gonna do, tell everybody you’d kissed me?”

Warren looked confused at the sudden change in Nathan’s voice. The bite was back, and Warren hated it, wanted it gone again. He immediately missed the Nathan from before. “No, _no_ , Nathan, I just really wanted to try. I didn’t expect you to look so offended. Can we try? I won’t tell anybody, I swear.”

Nathan hesitated. He didn’t know what to say to that. He was interested, but… “Are you gay, Graham?”

Warren giggled like that was the funniest thing he’d ever been asked. “Does it matter? I don’t know though.”

“You don’t know?”

Shrugging, Warren took another drag from the joint. “I never figured it out. I mean… I don’t think so. I like girls. I don’t… _think_ I’m gay, but I’m not sure. Are you?”

“ _No_.” Nathan’s answer came out sharper than he’d meant it to. But he was so insecure, jesus, got so defensive when people asked him. He wasn’t even sure himself, but he didn’t want anyone knowing he couldn’t say with one hundred percent certainty that he was straight.

“Okay.” Warren shrugged, and then that grin was back that Nathan had loved so much from the day before. Big and bright, like fucking sunshine, and that thought right there had Nathan second guessing his answer even more. 

He might not be gay, but looking at Warren Graham, craving to be smiled at by him, he wasn’t sure he was all that straight either.

“So.” Warren drew the word out, and he was still grinning. “Do you wanna try shotgunning or not?”

“I thought we just established we aren’t gay.”

Warren giggled again and scooted a little closer. “You don’t have to be gay to shotgun, our lips don’t even have to touch. I wanna try it. Just one time, I won’t tell anybody. Promise.”

Nathan thought he might regret this, for any number of reasons. But, hell, why not? “Yeah. Okay.”

“Okay. So I’ll do it to you once, then you do it to me, and we’re done. Promise. Just to try it out.” Nathan nodded, so Warren took a pull from the joint, and held the smoke in his mouth. Got real close, and put his thumb on Nathan’s lips. Nathan could feel himself blushing, but, shit, he couldn’t help it. He opened his mouth, and Warren blew a stream of smoke right in, slow and steady, and it felt weird but… kind of hot, if he were being honest. Jesus, Warren was so close.

Nathan let the smoke leave his mouth as Warren pulled away. Warren was still grinning. Nathan just swallowed thickly. Shit.

“Okay. You do it, then we’re done.”

So Nathan did. He copied Warren, inhaling the smoke from the joint, then leaning close and blowing it right into Warren’s mouth. Warren took in a deep breath, pulling the smoke into his lungs before he let it flow right back out of his mouth.

Warren’s grin was still in place, but it was smaller, dopier. “That was... really hot. Maybe I _am_ gay. But I don’t… I don’t think so.”

“Wanna try it again?”

Warren nodded, voice coming out breathy when he spoke. “Yeah.”

Nathan couldn’t figure out why he was doing this. It felt really… really gay, but, for some reason, Nathan found himself not caring. He liked it. This was nice. So he did it again, blew smoke into Warren’s mouth. And while Warren was letting the smoke out, Nathan swore Warren was staring at his lips, and Nathan just couldn’t fucking make himself pull away.

And Warren was braver, more confident, because he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Nathan’s.

Nathan made a surprised little sound in the back of his throat, but made no move to pull away. Instead, he opened his mouth for Warren, was pliant for him, let him lead the kiss and drag it on for as long as he wanted.

When Warren pulled away, he looked just as surprised as Nathan felt.

“Thought you said you weren’t gay.” Nathan’s tone wasn’t accusatory, just inquisitive.

“Yeah. So did you.” Warren stopped for a minute to wonder what he was doing. Christ, he’d just kissed _Nathan Prescott_ , and liked it. Jesus. He wondered if Nathan liked it, too. He hadn’t kicked him out of his room yet, though, so perhaps it was a mutual enjoyment. “Wanna… do it again?”

All of Nathan’s warning alarms were going off. This was bad. He wasn’t sure he could trust Warren, he shouldn’t be kissing him, but… 

_Shit_.

Nathan set the joint in the ashtray, and put the ashtray on the floor. Then put his hand on Warren’s cheek, ran his thumb over Warren’s bottom lip, then leaned in and kissed him again. 

Nathan was pretty sure he was blushing when they pulled apart again.

“Maybe I’m gay…” Warren said again, quieter this time, like the thought just occurred to him for the very first time, like he was surprised. He looked confused, but he met Nathan’s eyes. “Kiss me again.”

So Nathan did. Didn’t even hesitate, he just went for it, kissed Warren again because he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to.

The kiss broke again, and Warren was staring right at him, mouth parted just a little. It took everything Nathan had not to kiss him again. Christ, he’d stepped over a line, and now he couldn’t go back. He wanted to take and take and _take_ as long as Warren was offering.

Warren licked his lips. “Did you like that as much as I did?”

“I think so. Yeah.” Nathan wondered if he’d only liked it because he was desperate for attention, for affection. But, while that was true, he still thought… he thought he’d like it anyway, even if he weren’t. He wanted to do it again. And again and again, because it felt good, and it had been such a long time since he’d kissed anyone.

“So… what does that mean?”

Nathan shrugged. He wasn't sure and he didn't give enough of a shit to dwell on it. “I guess it means you should kiss me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, I'm not sure if I'm going to write more? maybe I can keep going with some....... encouragement? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> originally this was going to _eventually_ end in smut, and THEN I found out warren is 16, ~~so this is staying sex-free even if I continue it~~. sorry to disappoint
> 
> EDIT: shit


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't proofread this so I apologize for mistakes or if it's kind of all over the place. I had a friend read it over and they gave me the okay to post but if you notice anything off please let me know and I'll try to fix it. thanks in advance! xoxo

Nathan thought a lot about kissing Warren after Warren had gone back to his own room. Even after his high wore off, Nathan found himself wanting to kiss him again.

Which meant he couldn't blame it on the weed. 

Shit.

He didn't have the energy to contemplate if this meant he was gay or not. He certainly didn't think so, because he definitely liked girls, but… Fuck. _Fuck_ , he was confused and didn’t know how to process what he was feeling, he never fucking did.

Maybe he was just desperate. That was possible, and highly likely, because _god_ he was lonely. He should fucking know better than to blindly want for any person who showed him affection. 

Especially since the last time he’d done that, he’d ended up killing a girl. It had been an accident, but he had avoided mentioning any of his involvement when he’d finally turned Mark Jefferson in, and for some reason, Mark had apparently never brought him up. At least, that’s what Nathan assumed, since he’d yet to be arrested.

Perhaps Mark Jefferson really had loved him, enough to take the fall for both of them. Nathan wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.

All he knew was that he needed to be careful. He needed to stop clinging to people who showed him attention, but christ, that was hard when he craved it.

He wondered for a moment if Warren had been sincere, if he’d really wanted Nathan’s forgiveness, or if he had just been kissing ass. But…

_Where’d your attitude go? You alright?_

That had felt sincere, like Warren really cared to ask. Too bad Nathan couldn’t answer, not entirely, not without admitting he’d had a big part in Jefferson’s kidnapping of all those girls. Maybe, when he next saw Warren, he could give him a watered down version. _I’m back on my meds_ , is what he could say. That wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either.

Not being responsible for drugging girls any longer had done great things for Nathan’s attitude, and his mental health. He felt a lot better. Not all the way, no, he was still exhausted mentally, still depressed, still needed to go to his therapist, but he was getting better. He was working on it.

Nathan found himself hoping Warren asked again. He wanted to tell someone other than Victoria that he was doing _better_. He wondered if, if he told Warren, would Warren give him one of those big, bright smiles? Would Warren say he was proud? Nathan wanted his approval. Maybe not his, specifically, but he wanted _someone’s_. He had Victoria’s, she was always so good and supportive to him, but he wanted more. Maybe that made him selfish.

He didn’t care. He was allowed to be selfish, because he was his own person now, not Mark Jefferson’s puppet. 

Nathan sat up. He was tired of swimming in his own thoughts, getting lost in them. He needed to talk, because that’s something he was working on, it was part of his therapy, and he wanted so bad to be better. So he got up, pulled his shoes on, and went over to the girls’ dorm.

As soon as Victoria opened the door, Nathan said, “I need to talk.”

Victoria stared at him for a second, eyes a little wide. She still wasn’t used to Nathan just opening up without being prompted, but she knew it was good for him. So she let him in. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Nathan went quiet. How did he even say what he was feeling? Where did he start? Maybe this was a bad idea.

He was quiet for so long that Victoria thought she should gently prompt him to go on. “Nate, are y--”

“I kissed someone.” Nathan said it in a rush, and looked surprised, like he hadn’t quite meant for it to come out that way.

Victoria’s face lit up, lips pulling into a smile. “That’s great! That’s really good, Nate, I’m glad to see you’re branching out, meeting new people. It’s good for you, you know. Who was she? Is she cute?”

 _She_. Who was _she_. Fuck fuck fuck. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. “On second thought, I don’t--”

“ _Nathan_.” Victoria had a way of making her voice sound no-nonsense. Her voice was softer when she spoke again. “You know you can tell me anything. Is it someone I hate? It’s okay if it is, just because I think she’s a bitch doesn’t mean I won’t support your choice.”

Nathan sighed. _She_. Victoria kept saying _she_ , and it made Nathan feel that much worse. He took in a deep, shaky breath, and let it out, trying to gather up the courage. “It… it wasn’t… a she. It-- it wasn’t a girl. _Fuck_. Don’t laugh, please, Vic. I don’t… I don’t know why I did it, I was high and lonely but--”

Victoria’s eyes went a little wide in surprise, but she had to interrupt, couldn’t let Nathan keep frantically explaining himself when she didn’t care one way or the other if he’d kissed a guy. He was still her best friend. “Nathan. Hey, I’m not laughing. I’m not, okay? It’s okay, calm down. Come sit down.”

So Nathan did. He shut his mouth for a second and sat down beside Victoria on her bed. He took another deep breath, he was close to shaking. He was so confused, he needed to calm down. It was okay. So he kissed a guy, so what? That wasn’t a big deal. Shit, he’d done… worse. Way worse. Kissing Warren Graham should be the least of his problems, but it made him nervous and confused.

“Okay. Now, start from the beginning, and spill the details on _everything_.”

 

\------

 

Victoria had been less surprised about Nathan kissing a guy than she had been when Nathan told her _who_ it had been. She’d started laughing, insisted she wasn’t making fun or Nathan, that it was just the last person she expected Nathan to kiss.

Nathan had blushed, and grabbed one of her pillows to hide his face, but she eventually assured him that it didn’t matter to her who he kissed.

Now Nathan was sitting in his room again, listening to the whale noises he liked so much. It had been good, talking to Victoria, getting it off his chest. And Victoria, infinitely more knowledgeable than he, had told him about a word that might would help his confusion: bisexual. 

It helped a little. At least now he knew it wasn’t _weird_ that he liked girls, but had still liked kissing a guy. But he wondered if he was really bisexual. Had he really liked kissing Warren, or was it just because he was lonely? 

God, he was confused, and the only thought that stayed clear in his mind the whole time was that he’d really like to kiss Warren again. Goddammit.

He decided he was going to kiss him again. When he wasn’t high, and when he wasn’t having an absolute shit day, just to see if he still liked it when he wasn’t craving affection of any kind. If he didn’t like it, well, that was the end of that.

If he did… he’d deal with it from there.

 

\------

 

Nathan was sitting at his desk, legs bouncing restlessly. He was trying to pass time on his laptop, trying not to be so nervous, but he’d decided when he woke up that today was the day he was asking Warren to kiss him again.

He let out a sigh, figuring he needed to just go and get it over with. So he stood up, left his room, and went to knock on Warren’s door.

When Warren opened the door, his hair was a mess, eyes half lidded, and he rubbing a hand over one of his eyes. “Yeah?”

Nathan thought he looked adorable. He was infinitely more comfortable with that thought than he would have been before talking to Victoria the night before, but it still confused him. You kiss a guy once and suddenly start thinking he’s adorable? What the hell was wrong with him? “Hey.”

Warren yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Can I come in?”

Warren shrugged and moved out of the way, and Nathan went inside, shutting the door behind him. Warren was looking at him like he was a little exasperated that Nathan had woken him up.“What time is it?”

“It’s after 1:30.”

“Oh…. huh.” Warren frowned and scratched his head. “I guess weed makes me real tired. Anyway, what’s goin’ on?” Warren wasn’t sure why Nathan Prescott would come knocking on his door twice in a row. Where they friends now? 

“I… I’ve been really confused. Since… since yesterday, and I was wondering if you’d kiss me again.”

“Oh.” Warren shrugged again. “Sure.”

“Really?” Nathan hadn’t expected it to be that easy, not when Warren wasn’t high anymore.

“Yeah. Sure, why not?”

“I’m kinda nervous.” Nathan wasn’t used to being so open, so honest, but it was good for him. And it felt better than lashing out.

Warren gave him a smile, and Nathan loved it, he never wanted Warren to stop smiling at him. “Don’t be.” And just like that, Warren took a step forward, put his hand on Nathan’s cheek, and kissed him. 

It was soft, slow, and every bit as enjoyable as it had been the day before when they’d been stoned. 

Warren pulled back, gave Nathan this crooked little smile. “Well? Still confused?”

“Yeah.” Nathan licked his lips. “Yeah, but… I liked it. I liked it, and I’m not high.”

“Me too.”

“I’m not the only one that thinks this is really fuckin’ weird, right?”

Warren laughed, then went to sit down on his bed. “Course not. I never thought I’d be kissing you in a million years, dude, of _course_ it’s weird. But I don’t really care, so what if it’s weird?”

Nathan didn’t have response. He just stood there, silent, wondering how Warren could shrug off something so easily when he was confused and, honestly, kind of scared.

Warren pointed at him, a smile on his face. “Hey! So, you shared your weed with me, what do you say we go get lunch so I can pay you back? I’m starving.”

Nathan’s eyebrows pulled together, and he cocked his head. “Are you asking me on a date?”

“Well I wasn’t, but it can be a date if you want it to be.”

Nathan went quiet, thinking about it. Did he _want_ to go on a date with Warren? He wasn't completely sure, but he thought… maybe it would be nice. A date. He hadn't been on a date in years. “Okay. I guess it can be a date.”

Warren smiled again. He smiled so much, Nathan envied him. “Okay. Lemme change clothes, gimme a sec.”

 

\------

 

Nathan felt self-conscious being with Warren outside of the dorms. On the walk to his truck, on the walk into the Two Whales Diner, even while sitting there across from him. He was afraid people could tell, afraid it was obvious that they were calling this a _date_. Surely it couldn’t be obvious, but that didn’t stop Nathan from being anxious.

Nathan was biting his lip, staring out the window while he pushed his food around on his plate and bounced one of his legs restlessly. 

Warren put his fork down, frowning. “Hey, man, you alright?”

Sighing, Nathan turned his head to meet Warren’s eyes. “If you were just looking at us, could you tell this was a date?”

The question surprised Warren, and he let out a sharp laugh. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just… we’re barely talking. No, I wouldn’t be able to tell. Hell, I can barely tell as it is, even though you said it was one.”

Nathan sighed again and looked down at his lap. “Sorry. I’m not good at…” The word ‘dates’ was on the tip of his tongue, but he was afraid to say it out loud, afraid someone would hear. God, he was always so scared of everything. What kind of man was he? “...This,” is how he finished the sentence, gesturing to the Warren.

“You’re embarrassed.” It wasn’t a question. “Is it because you aren’t used to dates, or because it’s a guy you’re with?”

“It’s… both. You aren’t embarrassed?”

Warren shrugged. “Not really.”

“How? How are you not embarrassed when you said you weren’t…” Nathan stopped, glanced around nervously. “ _Y’know_.”

Warren kind of felt bad for him, for how nervous he was. Warren thought, maybe Nathan was afraid. Of what, Warren didn’t know. “Well… not a lot of people like me as it is. I’m younger than everybody at Blackwell, and they all call me a nerd anyway. So why should I care? They already don’t like me, so it doesn’t matter.”

Nathan didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say anyways. He wished he had that outlook, he wished he could be comfortable with himself and take things in stride. 

“Can I ask you something?”

Nathan focused his attention back on Warren. “Yeah.”

“What… what are you afraid of?”

Shit. Nathan knew he could lie. Easily. But Warren had this concerned look on his face, and Nathan felt obligated to be honest when Warren looked so sincere. “Honestly? ...My dad. I guess.”

“Your dad? Is he strict?”

“Yes.” Nathan left it at that. He didn't want to out Sean Prescott as an abusive piece of shit, and he wasn't sure if Warren would believe him anyway.

Warren took the curt reply as _I don't want to talk about it_ , so he didn't press further. “...Okay. I'm sorry. It's okay though, I doubt anyone here's gonna tattle on you to your dad.”

“Hope not.”

Warren leaned forward, lowered his voice. “Hey. No offense but I think half the town fuckin’ hates your dad, I doubt they want to deliver any news to him, let alone something that’s gonna piss him off.”

To Warren’s surprise, Nathan laughed. “You’re probably right. Guy’s an asshole.”

Warren gave him a little smile. “Try to relax, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“So!” Warren grinned and put his hands on the table. “What do you say we turn this into a real date and start talking?”

“Talking about what?”

“I dunno. Anything.” Warren cocked his head, thinking about what to talk about. “Let’s start with you. Everybody at Blackwell thinks you’re a rich brat with anger issues, but I know there’s more to you than that, there’s gotta be. So who are you _really_ , Nathan Prescott?”

Nathan looked down at his lap, avoiding Warren’s eyes. The comment had hurt, even though it was true, and he found himself wondering if Warren thought the same of him. “They’re probably right about that.”

“Bullshit.”

Nathan looked up at him, surprised. Not many people called him out when he got self-loathing.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Look, you don’t have to talk to me. You don’t. But I’d rather you just tell me you don’t wanna talk than give me a bunch of shit. Okay?”

Nathan went quiet for so long that Warren thought he wasn’t going to talk to him at all, about anything, for the rest of this ‘date’. But then, he sighed, and pushed his plate away from him. He’d lost his appetite. “I’m… I’m insecure. I’ve got…” He paused. This felt weird, he hated opening up, but he needed to. Victoria said so. His therapist said so, too. He didn’t want to be alone anymore, and Warren was offering to listen to him. He swallowed thickly. “I’ve got daddy issues. I see a therapist. I’m lonely. And I lash out when I can’t figure out how to deal with something. That’s who I am. That’s Nathan Prescott.”

“That makes way more sense than you just being a rich brat with anger issues. Don’t ever think you’re as one-dimensional as the people at Blackwell think you are. Okay?”

Nathan had expected pity. He was glad it wasn’t there, he hated that _oh, I’m so sorry_ line people offered when someone told them they weren’t okay. He much preferred Warren’s response. “Okay… sorry.”

“Don’t be. And, hey, listen. It’s good to talk about stuff, okay? You don’t have to be alone.”

 _You don’t have to be alone_. Nathan almost wanted to fucking cry, he’d never had anyone but Victoria. This was weird, and new, but Nathan liked it. He wanted to open up to Warren more, wanted to pour his heart out, and wanted Warren to kiss him to make him forget, just for a moment. That’s when Nathan realized, he didn’t want this to be a one-time date. He wanted to ask Warren out again and again. And next time, he’d be a better, more attentive date, because Warren deserved it.

Nathan didn’t have to be so alone anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucking lied okay I LIED because I have FILTHY ENABLER FRIENDS so there's...... a frottage scene in here. BUT it's not too explicit so I kept the Teen rating. and this is IT, no more sexy times, NONE. at least in the main fic. If I finish this I MIGHT do an extra tidbit about warren turning 18 and the resulting sex, but other than that, no more sexy times for this fic 
> 
> anyway, once again, I didn't read over this before posting so lemme know what needs changing. I'm not exactly satisfied w the last part of this chapter but I wanted to crank it out so w/e

The sound of knocking woke Nathan from his nap, and he grunted, pulling his earbuds out and going to open the door.

Warren was standing there, and he laughed when he saw Nathan. 

Nathan frowned and crossed his arms. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Your hair, dude, it’s a mess. Did I wake you up? I can come back later.”

“It’s fine. What’s up?”

Warren held up a plastic bag and grinned. “I brought movies! I thought, hey, if yesterday’s date wasn’t your style, maybe we could have a do-over? I’ve got pre-popped popcorn, and some candy.”

“You… wanna have another date? After how terrible of a date I was yesterday?”

“You weren’t a _terrible_ date, Nathan. You were nervous, it happens. So, movie date? Yes or no?”

Nathan couldn’t believe Warren wanted another date with him. He’d definitely wanted another with Warren, but he was almost certain he’d be turned down. And here Warren was offering another date, one where Nathan could be comfortable. That had been really thoughtful of Warren, and Nathan found himself smiling. “Sounds fun.”

Nathan moved to let Warren in, and Warren went and emptied the contents of the bag onto Nathan's bed.

“I didn't know what soda you drink, I got you coke.”

“That’s fine. What candy did you get?” The truth was, Nathan didn’t care much for coke, but he wasn’t about to tell Warren that, not when he’d gone to all the trouble of surprising him like this.

Warren handed Nathan a few DVDs. “Here, pick one. I got Kitkats, some gummy worms, and some Reeses. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t wanna _ask_ what candy you liked, it would ruin the surprise.”

“It’s fine, Warren. Really.” Nathan went through the movies, looking them over.

“If you don’t like any of those, I’ve got more stuff in my room. Or we could find something online, I see that fancy ass projector of yours.”

But Nathan handed all but one movie back, and waved it around with a little smile on his face. Warren liked when Nathan smiled; he didn’t do it often, but it always looked so nice when he did. “This one.”

Warren laughed and raised an eyebrow. “Star Wars is the _last_ one I expected you to pick. Are you a closet nerd, Nathan Prescott?”

Nathan was still smiling. It was barely there, but Warren was glad for it. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Taking that as a yes. C’mon, put it in.” Warren pulled off his shoes while Nathan went over to his computer and inserted the disk.

Nathan had the main menu pulled up, and turned the projector on with a remote. He looked over at Warren, who had already opened the bag of popcorn and was eating some. “Hey, thanks for… this. It was really nice of you.”

“No problem, dude. You seemed really uncomfortable yesterday, I figured a date staying in was more your style.”

“This… is much easier. Thanks.” 

Chewing on another piece of popcorn, Warren told him it was no big deal, and to hit play. So Nathan did, then walked past the bed to sit on the couch. His bed was small, he figured he’d let Warren have it. He didn’t want it to be too crowded, and he didn’t want to just _assume_ Warren wanted him that close.

“Dude, what are you doing?”

“I… the bed is tiny.”

“So? It’s a date, come put your arm around me like a real gentleman.”

“Oh. I… uh. Okay.” Nathan felt a sudden wave of self-consciousness. Did he smell okay? Were they going to kiss? Was his breath bad? Shit.

Nathan got onto the bed, and Warren scooted over a bit to make more room for him.

“Do… uh. Did you really want me to put my arm around you?”

“If you want to. Up to you, this date was for you to be more comfortable.”

Nathan lifted his arm, then hesitated and put it back down. He was nervous, knew nobody would see them, but was scared anyway. And he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to just embrace the fact that he was kind of into Warren Graham this easily.

But then he thought about Warren going out shopping for candy and drinks, thought about him considering which of his DVDs to bring for Nathan to choose from. All just for him, just so he wouldn’t be nervous about a date in public. It was possibly one of the nicest things anybody had done for him, despite being such a simple gesture. Then he thought about Warren at his door grinning at him, and it warmed Nathan all over. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been smiled at like that.

Ah, what the fuck?

Nathan put his arm around Warren, who immediately shifted closer and put his head on Nathan’s shoulder. Nathan thought he could feel himself blushing, but he couldn’t be sure, he was just glad Warren was looking at the image projected on the wall, just in case he was.

The two of them sat and watched the movie together, until about halfway through when Warren turned his head to look up at Nathan. “Hey, so, you've seen this before, right?”

Nathan raised an eyebrow, a little confused. “Of course I have. I love Star Wars, my sister and I used to watch them together. Why?”

“‘Cause I was wondering if you’d wanna make out instead of finish watching the movie.”

Warren's forwardness made Nathan smile. “So that's what you came in here for.”

“No! No, really, I didn't plan on it. Just, ever since you put your arm around me, I've been thinking of turning around and kissing you…”

Nathan was a terrible date; he hadn’t kissed him yesterday after Warren had taken him to lunch (but Nathan insisted on paying, so he at least returned the kindness somehow). He’d wanted to, but he was nervous, couldn’t do it right there in the hall because he was afraid. So, now? Now, he wanted to say yes There was no way he was passing it up again. He shrugged the shoulder Warren wasn’t leaning on, one corner of his lips pulling up. “Yeah, okay. Let’s make out.”

Warren grinned and turned around, then straddled Nathan’s lap, smiling down at him. Nathan put one of his hands on Warren’s cheek and gently pulled him closer, until their lips were just barely brushing. Warren pushed just a little closer and bit at Nathan’s bottom lip, having forgotten about the split on it, and Nathan jerked away.

“Ow! Son of a bitch.” Nathan pulled his hand up to his lip, running his thumb across it to check if it had started bleeding again. His thumb came away red.

“Shit! I’m sorry, fuck!”

But Nathan didn’t mind all that much. He’d been hurt worse before, and at least this had been accidental. “It’s okay. Not mad, it just hurt.”

Warren was staring, and he reached out and experimentally pressed on Nathan’s bleeding lip. Nathan winced, but didn’t move away. “That’s… kind of hot, dude.”

“What, bleeding from my lip?”

“Yeah, I don’t… I don’t know why, it just… suits you, somehow. It looks good. Can I still kiss you?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind a mouth full of blood.”

Warren shook his head. “I don’t mind.” Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Nathan’s. Nathan’s lips were slick, tasted of copper, and for some reason, Warren loved it. He sucked on Nathan’s bottom lip, then kissed him again, harder this time, and let out a shaky breath through his nose.

Nathan could taste his blood on Warren’s tongue. Warren had been right, it was kind of hot.

Warren pulled back for a moment, and his cheeks were flushed pink, eyes half lidded, pupils blown. As soon as he caught his breath, he was kissing him again, pressing Nathan to the head of the bed. 

Nathan made a sound in the back of his throat, suspiciously close to a moan, but he decided to pretend it didn't happen, hoped Warren was courteous enough to do the same.

And Warren didn’t say a thing about it, just kept kissing him, over-eager. Warren kept thinking Nathan would stop him, especially after Nathan had made that soft moan, figured he’d be embarrassed and put a stop to it, but he didn’t, and Warren wanted to keep pushing him, see how far he could go. And he was half hard in his jeans, so he decided to push some more, experimentally grinding his hips down against Nathan’s.

Instead of pushing him away, Nathan gasped, breaking the kiss. His cheeks were pink, eyes closed, and Warren swore he felt that Nathan was getting hard, too.

So he did it again. And sure enough, Nathan was fully erect, straining against his jeans, and he made this quiet little groan that Warren almost missed.

Warren kissed him again, softer this time, less intense. More caring. “Is this okay?”

Nathan nodded, still hadn’t opened his eyes.

“Just say stop, and I will, okay?”

“Okay. Jesus, kinda ruining the mood, Warren.”

“Sorry. I’m just making sure you’re--”

Nathan grabbed his face and pulled him into another kiss, effectively shutting him up, and pushed his hips up against Warren’s, rubbing their crotches together. Warren groaned and started rutting against him, over and over, letting out these pretty little whimpers that just got Nathan hornier. Christ.

A few moments later, Warren broke the kiss and made this desperate little moan, his face all red and his eyes squeezed shut. His hand went over his mouth when he realized he’d made a sound, trying to keep quiet, and when he opened his eyes again, he was staring at Nathan, suddenly overcome with embarrassment at the wet spot in his jeans. Quite a juxtaposition to how bold he’d been when they’d started.

Warren bit his lip and averted his eyes. “That’s embarrassing…”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “Yeah? So’s this.” He gestured down to his crotch, he was still so hard it hurt. 

Warren looked down, then rubbed the heel of his hand over the bulge in Nathan’s pants. Nathan groaned, hips pushing forward, and Warren kept at it, until Nathan was gasping, moaning, as he climaxed, then swatting Warren’s hand away, clearly overstimulated. 

“Dammit. Now I gotta change my pants…”

Warren didn’t like the way the sounded, like Nathan immediately regretted it. He hoped he didn’t. “I… should, too. Um. Should… should I bother coming back after I do, or…”

Nathan frowned. “Of course you should come back. You can’t just bail on the date, asshole.”

“I just… I thought maybe that was a mistake. I thought you’d be pissed off that it happened.”

“I didn’t _intend_ for it to happen… but it felt good, so, whatever. I… I wanna be more like you, when it comes to this. I don’t wanna stress about it. I mean, I will. I’m going to. I’m gonna stay confused for a while. And I’m still fucking embarrassed, so don’t you tell anyone. But I like.. this. I liked _that_.” Nathan gestured to Warren, as if that got his point across. “And not a lot of people are as nice to me as you are. So I’m not gonna get pissed at _you_ just ‘cause we dry humped, okay?”

Warren was grinning at him. God, Nathan loved that grin. That was such a stupid, sappy thing to think, too, but he just couldn’t help it. “Sounds like you had a change of attitude.”

Nathan shrugged. “I thought about it a lot. Now go get changed, and come back so we can watch the rest of Star Wars. And another movie if you’re up for it.”

 

\------

 

Warren was sitting in the science lab after school had let out, trying to finish some work at school so he could get Mrs. Grant’s help if he needed it.

“Thought you might be in here.”

Warren looked up to see Nathan leaned against the desk in front of his.

“Nathan? What’s up, man?”

“Okay, this might sound weird, but hear me out.”

Warren eyed Nathan suspiciously. What was he up to? Nathan didn’t usually approach Warren in school. Or really anywhere outside the dormitories, unless they’d specifically agreed to go somewhere together. “O...kay?”

“Okay. I’m inviting you to the next Vortex party. Wanna come? Not as…” Nathan’s cheeks turned pink as he realized what it sounded like he was asking. “Not… like that. I’m too… I’m afraid. But you’ve been… nice to me. I guess it’s safe to say we’re friends? So it’d be cool if you came. If you want. I mean, no big deal.” But it was, it was a big deal to Nathan. He wanted to invite Warren into his world. The world where he was getting better, the world that wasn’t fucking tainted anymore by Mark Jefferson. Nathan was working on starting over, and he wanted Warren to be a part of it, because aside from Victoria, Warren was nicer to him than any of his so-called friends had ever been.

“Oh. I…” That had been the last thing Warren expected. He’d never been big on parties, he was a wallflower, felt out of place at them. He scratched the back of his head. “I… don’t know. Parties make me kinda uncomfortable, dude.” 

Nathan tried not to show it, but something about his expression looked deflated, disappointed. “Oh. Okay, no biggie, just thought I’d ask.”

“Actually. I…” Warren sighed. He couldn’t stand to be the reason that vaguely hurt look was on Nathan’s face. “Sure. I’ll go. But I better be getting into VIP.”

Nathan’s whole face lit up, and Warren suddenly wanted to kiss him. But he couldn’t, not here, Nathan would be embarrassed, and really, so would he. “Course. That’s where I stay, I’m not gonna invite you and then not talk to you. I’m not _that_ big an asshole.”

“Yeah, if you say so,” Warren teased, a little smile pulling at his lips.

Nathan shoved him playfully. “Shut up. Asshole. Anyway, there’s gonna be drugs there. Like, harder shit than weed, but stay away from that, okay? I… I don’t do it either. Not anymore. My friends made fun of me, but it’s… it’s better for me, and you don’t want you caught up in that. Stick to the weed and beer, okay?”

Warren smiled. Nathan was trying to look out for him, which isn’t anything he’d ever expected to happen in his life. “Okay. Promise. You know, it almost sounds like you care. That’s sweet.”

Nathan’s cheeks turned pink again, and he crossed his arms. “Shut up. Just… I know what that’s like and, trust me, it’s better to never start than to deal with it later.”

“You kicked an addiction?”

“Yeah. Recently.”

A little smile pulled at Warren’s lips. “That’s good. I’m proud of you.”

Nathan frowned, standing up straight, looking like he was getting prepared to defend himself. “Are you patronizing me?”

“What? _No_. No, I’m not. Jesus, do people not tell you that?”

Nathan narrowed his eyes and studied Warren’s face, looking for a sign that he was lying. He found none, and relaxed, let out a loud sigh. “No... They don’t.” Nathan swallowed hard and looked away. “Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll see ya later. Sorry for… getting defensive.”

“Don’t worry about it. See ya.”

Nathan looked around quickly, then bent over to kiss Warren’s cheek. “Sorry,” he muttered again, before leaving the room without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoping the next chapter will get more into nathan and warren getting to know each other but who knows I don't have a plan I never have a plan


End file.
